150 TRANSACTIONS OF ROVAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY, 



XII. Notes on a Visit to some BavariaTi afid Saxofi Forests with 

 Dr Schlich and the Coopers Hill Students, 1904. By John 

 J. R. Meiklejohn, Novar, Evanton, Ross-shire. 



I sailed from Leith on the nth of June, reached Rotterdam 

 on the 13th, and went on the same day to Aschaffenburg, where 

 Dr Schhch and the other members of the party arrived next 

 day. 



On the following day, Wednesday the 15th, Dr Schlich took 

 US over the Forestry School and Museum at Aschaffenburg, 

 which were very interesting. We saw a great many specimens 

 of forest produce in the Museum, and a large variety of birds 

 and beasts of prey which are to be found in the Bavarian forests. 

 After one of the professors had shown us over the School, we 

 drove to Hosbach, and visited a large saw-mill on the outskirts of 

 the forest. Here the heavy oak logs are handled almost entirely 

 by machinery. There is a tramway laid from the wood-yard into 

 the saw-mill, whereby the logs are run in on a trolley, from which 

 they are transferred to a movable platform, where they are 

 operated upon by a horizontal saw, and sliced up into boards. 

 As each board is sawn, it is shod on the ends with a piece of 

 beech to prevent its splitting, and then relaid on the trolley, small 

 rinds being placed between the boards ; and as each tree is 

 finished, it is hauled out and laid in the yard in its sawn 

 condition, care being taken to keep every tree quite separate. 

 The saws are driven by steam power, and such were the only 

 kind seen by us in operation throughout our journey in 

 Bavaria. 



From these mills we drove to Waldaschaff, where we were met 

 by the Forstmeister, and were shown a forest of beech, oak, and 

 conifers. We then went on to Rothenbuch and Lichtenau, 

 travelling through beautiful forest land at a high elevation all 

 the way. In our drive we passed through large peasant town- 

 ships on the borders and throughout the forest. The methods 

 of agriculture are very primitive. The carts, waggons, and 

 implements are all home-made, and are drawn by cows or 

 oxen. The crops indicated that the land in cultivation was 

 poor and exhausted, and it seems to be valued at about los. 

 per Imperial acre. There were, however, large tracts of grass 

 land in the vicinity of these townships, which are rented by the 



